Mark Reinhold and Wendy Shaffer led the college’s efforts to develop a new mission statement, which replaced the mission statement that had been in existence since 1992.

A year-long collaboration among NECC students, faculty, and staff has ended with the implementation of a new mission statement for the college, following official approval by the Board of Higher Education. The new mission statement provides an updated summary of the college’s values and objectives.

Members of the college community were invited to participate in the development of a new mission statement beginning in the fall of 2013, when the Executive Committee of the All College Assembly (a college-wide body that provides executive and operating policy advice) first proposed an initiative to assess and revise NECC’s established list of goals. The previous mission statement was adopted in 1992 and has long-served, until now, as NECC’s major summary of purpose and guide for strategic planning.

Through various events this past year, the college body assembled an impressive set of potential new mission drafts for collective review and comment. Brainstorming events included a student-geared “Six Word Mission Slam,” portions of the fall 2013 and 2014 convocations, and college-wide faculty and staff meetings. Final drafts were written and approved by December of 2014.

“Together, these collective opportunities have enabled us to create a new Mission Statement that reflects our core values, goals, objectives, constituent needs, and our ability to deliver on these realistically,” says President Lane Glenn, who officially announced the adoption of NECC’s new mission statement following the Board of Higher Ed’s approval on March 10th. “Feedback and guidance over the past year has been critical to a team of individuals…who worked on developing and honing draft after draft of a new Mission Statement.”

Critical to the process were Wendy Shaffer, dean of development, and Mark Reinhold, professor of natural sciences. As project leaders, they met frequently with members of the college community to review, assess, and revise multiple drafts.

“It was certainly an extensive and exciting process and we are very delighted with the result,” says Shaffer. “Our new mission statement will no doubt help guide our next strategic plan, which will, in turn, guide other decision-makings, budget priorities, and evaluations at the college.”

 Northern Essex will continue to periodically review and evaluate its Mission Statement to ensure that it remains an accurate reflection of the college’s goals.

The new mission statement reads as follows: “At NECC, our mission is to educate and inspire our students to succeed. We provide a welcoming environment focused on teaching and learning—strongly committed to unlocking the potential within each student and empowering our diverse community of learners to meet their individual goals. We are a community college dedicated to creating vibrant and innovative opportunities that encourage excellence and enhance the cultural and economic life of our region.”

Old mission statement: “The mission of Northern Essex Community College is to serve the people of the Greater Merrimack Valley as a caring and comprehensive center of educational excellence that offers high quality, affordable adult and postsecondary education through the Associate Degree level, as well as a broad range of occupational programs and community services which enhance the social, cultural, and economic life of the region.”

To learn more, please visit www.necc.mass.edu/about/values.